


Make Room for Scooter

by mcgarrygirl78



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Drama, F/F, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-02-18
Updated: 2006-02-18
Packaged: 2019-05-31 08:59:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15116105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: "If anything happens to him, I will never forgive you.  How could you be so stupid?"





	Make Room for Scooter

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

**Make Room for Scooter**

**by:** Montiese 

**Character(s):** Nancy/OFC  
**Pairing(s):** Nancy/Lauren  
**Category(s):** Hurt/Comfort/Drama   
**Rating:** TEEN  
**Summary:** "If anything happens to him, I will never forgive you. How could you be so stupid?"  
**Author's Note:** This is #3 in the Ultimate Happiness series. 

"I just don't know what to say to him anymore. He is not listening to me." 

Lauren sat in the den sipping hot tea. Her eyes were red; she had been crying again. Nancy sat on the couch and rubbed her knee. 

"I will call him tomorrow baby; I will talk to him." 

"He won't listen." Lauren replied, breaking down in sobs. 

Nancy took her into her arms and held her tight. It was August; eight weeks ago, Lauren's mother died suddenly of a heart attack. It threw the youngest Pierdon child for a loop. She and Nancy had just been with her parents about three weeks before Meredith died. She looked fine; she and Lauren spent an afternoon together. 

"It's OK. He will listen to me." 

"He won't listen to anyone!" Lauren exclaimed. 

"Shh. I promise to make him." 

"Nobody makes daddy do something he doesn't want to." 

Lauren pulled away and wiped her face. Nancy wiped excess tears and kissed her lips. 

"It's hard for Scooter too." She said. "I think it may be easier for him to express apprehensions and worries to me instead of you guys. It is going to be alright." 

Lauren fell into her arms again. 

"No matter how old you are, you are never ready for this." She whispered. 

"No." Nancy shook her head. "It's not easy. But you are not alone. I'm here and you have friends who are a phone call away. C'mon baby, let's go to bed. I know you haven't been sleeping lately." 

"I'm alright." 

"Mmm hmm. C'mon." 

Nancy squeezed Lauren's hand and they got up off the couch. They walked upstairs with their arms around each other. Lauren took a deep breath as Nancy turned down the bed. 

"Tell me when I will stop feeling like this." 

They had been in the dark about 20 minutes, spooning in their bed under Nancy's favorite silk sheets. 

'I can't. it fades over time but it never goes away. I lost my father almost 40 years ago and it still hurts sometimes. I still miss Doug everyday. We just keep going; we have to. I'm sorry if that sounds cheap." 

"It's OK." 

Nancy held her closer and closed her eyes. She didn't know if Lauren would sleep tonight. She was worried about her father and that added to the stress of losing her mother. At 85, Scooter Foxworth was very set in his ways. This was going to take some work but Nancy McNally was definitely used to battling stubborn people. She would di it and it would be handled by tomorrow. 

\------------------------------------------------------ 

"Are you taking lunch or eating at camp?" Lauren asked. 

She pulled peanut butter and jelly out as Fitz ate Capn Crunch at the table. 

"If you're making peanut butter and jelly I'll eat at camp." He said. 

"I thought you liked peanut butter and jelly." 

"Mum, you make it everyday. I am on Skippy overload." 

Lauren smirked. 

"OK Mr. Smarty Pants. Put on your shoes before the bus comes. Hurry up, I will clear the dishes." 

Fitz dashed off, nearly mowing down Nancy on the steps. 

"Sorry mom!" he shouted. 

She just shook her head. In the kitchen she poured a cup of coffee and watched Lauren light what she was sure was not the day's first cigarette. 

"Do I force feed Fitz peanut butter?" she asked. 

"I don't know." She added Splenda to her coffee. "He likes peanut butter. Of course, there is not much he doesn't like. The child eats like its going out of style." 

"He's growing. Hey, do I get a good morning kiss?" 

Nancy smiled, putting her arms around Lauren. Their noses rubbed and the kiss was soft and tender. Fitz came back in the kitchen with his backpack. 

"Kissy, kissy, kissy." He teased, dancing around with his hands on his hips. 

His mothers looked at him. 

"Quiet you." Nancy said. She kissed Lauren again. "You ready for camp?" 

"I need lunch money." 

Nancy pulled a five dollar Bill from her jeans pocket. Lauren handed her a paper clip and she clipped it into Fitz's pocket. 

"Be careful muffin; don't lose it." 

He nodded as the bus horn honked. There was the usual seconds of hysteria, kisses, and hugs and he was out the door. Nancy leaned against the counter. 

"I have a crazy day today." She said. 

Lauren nodded, starting the dishwasher and wiping down the counters. 

"You don't have to look after me. I'll be doing some stuff too. What are you up to?" 

"Library research at NYU and lunch with Marian. I'll be gone for a while starting at about 11." 

"OK. Will you be back by five thirty?" Lauren asked. "I thought it would be fun to make dinner together. We have some chicken and beef; I thought we could make fajitas." 

"Oh yeah, that will be fun. I will pick up some vegetables before I come home. How about another kiss?" 

Lauren sighed when she was in Nancy's arms again. 

"Should I ask how you are feeling this morning?" 

"No. I'm alright. I love you so much." 

"Love you too." 

They kissed again and Nancy went up to her study to start her day. 

\------------------------------------------------------- 

"Hello." 

"Hey Scooter." 

"Nancy! Sweetie, how are you?" 

"OK. What about you?" 

"Alright. I went fishing with Carl and Dan this morning; caught some snapper. I have to broil them instead of grill them but that's OK. I nearly missed you...just got back from my afternoon walk. How is my grandson?" 

"Fine. He misses you, wants to know when you're coming to visit him." 

"We're coming to the real cause of the phone call." Scooter replied. 

"I am not allowed to call and see how my father-in-law is doing anymore?" Nancy asked. 

"Your calls are always welcome. Still, there are motives to this one." 

"Lauren is not OK." 

"Of course she is not OK. You know how attached she was to her mother. What do you want me to do? I've tried talking to her; Jimmy tried to talk to her." 

"She wants you to come and stay with us." Nancy said. 

"What about what I want?" 

"What do you want?" 

"Not to be a burden to my children. I can take care of myself and I don't need a babysitter Nancy. I'm fine here." 

"Nobody is debating whether or not you can take care of yourself. If you're closer to us, we can spend all the time you have left together. You're 85 years old Scooter." 

"So you would uproot me from my home to ease your troubled mind?" 

"George Foxworth!" Nancy exclaimed. "Your daughter cries herself to sleep every night because she is afraid you will fall or die and no one will discover you for days. Your sons are at their wits end because they want to help take care of you and you would rather be a stubborn old coot then say aloud that you miss your wife and don't like being alone." 

Nancy breathed hard as there was silence on the other end of the phone. 

"You're my father too Scooter and I am not going to let your stubbornness be the death of you. There is plenty of room here; it's not about babysitting. It is about family." 

"I am not a coot." Scooter finally replied. "Curmudgeon maybe, but certainly not a coot. You have never yelled at me before." 

"It's disrespectful. We all love you very much." 

"I know darling. I need time Nancy. I just lost my wife and I want to be alone for a little while. Not forever; just a while." 

"How much time?" Nancy asked. 

"I don't know. We buried Meredith here and I want to stay with her." 

"Scooter..." 

"Please just give me some time. I have to go now but I will call you soon. I love you." 

"I love you too. Bye." 

Nancy hung up and let out a frustrated sigh. Then she dialed another number. 

"Hello." 

"Hi Corinne. Its Nancy, how are you?" 

\---------------------------------------------------- 

"Mum! Hey mum!" 

Fitz ran through the side door and found Lauren cleaning. That was all she seemed to do lately and he didn't know why. The house was clean already. He looked at her with his head cocked to one side. 

"Where's mommy?" he asked. 

She stopped wiping down the floor with the Swiffer. 

"What sweetie?" 

"Where's mommy?" 

"Um, she went out." 

"Out where? Its snack time. What's the matter?" 

"Nothing. There are brownies in the kitchen." 

"But my plate's not out, and what about my milk?" 

"Sweetie, mummy is very busy. If you don't want the brownies, please just go out and play." 

"I never make my own snack. You don't like me fooling around in the kitchen by myself. When is mommy coming home?" 

"Fitz!" she exclaimed. "Leave mummy alone!" 

"OK." He backed up. "I'm sorry mummy." 

Lauren went back to her mopping and Fitz left the room. 

\----------------------------------------------------- 

Nancy walked in at six o'clock. She had a few grocery bags that she put on the counter. Lauren was in the middle of rearranging the dishes for the fourth time in two weeks...no one could ever keep track of where the spoons were. Nancy raised an eyebrow but kissed her cheek. 

"Hey baby." 

"Hi. You're late." 

"A bit. The grocery was crowded; I thought it better to stop and make sure we had all the ingredients. I got you some ice cream and lunchmeat for Fitz. Where is he?" 

"Hmm?" she was scrubbing one of the shelves. 

"Where is Fitz?" 

"Umm..." 

"Umm, what? Where is Fitz?" 

She walked out of the kitchen and saw the side door wide open. Nancy rushed to it and there was no sign of Fitz. His football and football helmet lay in the grass; so did his fighter plane. 

"Lauren, where the hell is Fitz?" 

She walked toward the kitchen and Lauren met her halfway. 

"I don't know." 

"What the hell do you mean you don't know? Oh God, where is he?" 

Nancy ran her fingers through her hair. Lauren just stood there looking confused. 

"When was the last time you saw him?" she asked frantically. 

"I don't know. I told him to leave me alone." 

"What! You told him to what? Well, where is he?" 

"I don't know." 

Nancy grabbed her hard by the arm. 

"Stop fucking saying that! Think! Come out of your haze and think! Where is my son!" 

Lauren started to cry. She tried to break Nancy's grip, but could not. Now Nancy had a hold of both arms. 

"Nancy." She sobbed. "Let me go, that hurts." 

"Goddammit Lauren! Where is Fitz!" 

She let her go and started running around looking for him. There was no sign of him downstairs. Upstairs in his bedroom she only found the cat. Nancy yanked the front door open and was faced with the sounds of the city but no sign of her son. 

"Nancy?" 

"If anything happens to him I will never forgive you. How could you be so stupid?" 

"I didn't...he was here and..." 

"Shut up. Just shut the fuck up. Oh God...I have to think." 

She put her hand over her chest; it felt as if her heart was exploding. Nancy took a couple of deep breaths and tried to calm down. She was no longer National Security Advisor, she had finally let go of all these worse case scenarios in which terrorists took her son. 

"We have to do something." She said. 

"Call the police." Lauren suggested. "We can call the police." 

Nancy ran into the kitchen and snatched the phone from the wall. 

"Hello? Hello? Fitz?" 

"Hi mommy." 

"Oh God muffin where are you?" 

"In your study, talking to Scooter." 

"Scooter?" 

"Hey Nance." 

"OK, everybody hang up now. Fitz say bye to grandpa." 

She clicked the phone off and ran up the stairs two at a time. Opening the attic door, Nancy scooped her son into her arms and held onto him for dear life. 

"Are you alright?" she asked. 

"I'm OK mommy. What's the matter?" 

Nancy shook her head. She put him down on the floor and wiped her tears before he saw them. 

"Don't you ever, ever disappear like that again, do you understand me? What are you doing up here?" 

"Mummy told me to leave her alone...she didn't make my snack. I came to call Scooter cuz I didn't know when you was coming home." 

"Were muffin. You should have called me." She hugged him again. "I was scared when I came home and couldn't find you. You left the side door open." 

"I guess I forgot. I'm sorry mommy." 

"Its OK baby, it is really OK. Tell me all the speed-dial numbers. You remember them right?" 

"1 is the police; 2 is you; 3 is mummy; 4 is Scooter; 5 is Uncle Jimmy and 6 is Aunt CJ. I remember." 

Nancy let out the breath she had been holding. She sat down on the couch and Fitz sat beside her. 

"You should go downstairs and see mummy. I'll be right down." 

"She is mad at me and I didn't do anything bad. I swear." 

"Don't swear. Look, mummy is upset about some things and she is not herself. Remember what we talked about?" 

"She is sad about nana." Fitz replied. "Scooter told me." 

"Yeah. You know what would make her feel so much better? A hug from her favorite little boy." 

"Really?" 

"It really would, I know how good it makes me feel. Go on, run down there and give her and big, fat hug and kiss. She will be so happy. Go on muffin." 

Fitz smiled and left the room. Nancy was finally able to let her emotions take over. 

\-------------------------------------------------------- 

"Are you coming to bed?" 

Nancy opened her eyes, sitting up some on the couch. CNN played on the TV and all the lights were still on. She focused on Lauren, barely dressed in a little purple negligee. 

"You should cover up; it's drafty down here." 

"It is the middle of August...it is not drafty. Are you coming to bed?" 

Sighing, Nancy stood and stretched. 

"Yeah. What time is it? I fell asleep." 

"After 1. I woke up and you weren't there." 

"I fell asleep watching TV." Nancy said. 

"There is a TV in our bedroom." 

"I wanted to be alone for a while. I'll be up in a little while. Go back to sleep baby." 

"Nancy, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I yelled at Fitz and I'm sorry I lost him. I don't know what I was thinking." Tears streamed down her face. "I wasn't thinking. I was just...just..." 

Nancy crossed the room and embraced her. 

"Shh, it's over. He is OK and...baby don't cry anymore." 

"What if he wasn't? What if someone had taken him and hurt him? It would have been all my fault." 

"Stop it. It's unhealthy to keep thinking about it. Go upstairs, I need to lock up." 

She wiped Lauren's tears, kissed her and left the room. After locking up, she went and looked in on Fitz. He was sound asleep with the cat. She said a silent prayer of thanks for his safety, kissed him, and went down the hall. After the craziness of the evening, Lauren barricaded herself in the bedroom. Nancy ordered pizza and she and Fitz watched Toy Story. 

Lauren was lying there, staring at her as she undressed and put on pajamas. Sliding into bed, she lay with her back to Lauren. For a while, they remained quiet. 

"I should not have been so rough with you today." Nancy said. "I was so scared that something had happened to Fitz and I lost control." 

Lauren spooned behind her, grasping Nancy's hands. She was surprised to find they were still shaking. 

"My mother died Nancy. Some days I just want to curl up in a ball and cry my eyes out. Half the time I don't know what to do with myself. And the worse part is whenever I felt really lost, I would just call her. But this evening, when I thought Fitz could be hurt...I still have responsibilities. As much as I relied on my mother, my son relies on me. I can't let go of that because of my sadness." 

"No. But you do have the right to mourn. That's why I'm here. Whenever you need some time, call me; come and get me Lauren. We do this together, remember?" 

"Then can you please put your arms around me?" she asked. 

Nancy turned, pulling Lauren's body to hers. Lauren exhaled and so did Nancy. 

"We both need to get some sleep. It was a long evening and I think it is time to put it behind us. Far behind us." 

"I love you Nancy McNally." 

"I love you too." 

\------------------------------------------------------ 

The phone ringing jarred Nancy from her sleep early Saturday morning. As usual, Lauren was a mess of limbs and Nancy had to extract herself from a half nelson to get to the phone. Lauren turned over and continued to sleep. 

"Nancy McNally." 

"George Foxworth." 

"What time is it? The phone woke me up." 

"6:45. You weren't up already." 

"Scooter, it is Saturday for Pete's sake. Only you and the Amish are up at this hour. Are you alright?" 

"I am coming to New York. I need to help look after Lauren." 

"Um, OK." 

"Fitz called me yesterday and told me that she is not doing well. I know her mother's death has taken a real toll on her." 

"All of us." Nancy replied. 

"Yeah. So I think it will be a good idea for me to come and be with her. She needs her father at a time like this." 

"I couldn't agree more." 

She looked at Lauren, sound asleep and oblivious to all around her. Nancy hoped she was having sweet dreams. 

"Good. So I talked to Jimmy last night. He, JJ, and Scott are going to come and help me pack up. I think they are going to get those crates that ship to you." 

"Pods." Nancy said, stifling a yawn. 

"Yes. I don't want to bring too much...God knows I don't need to fill your house with my junk." 

"Whatever you want to bring is fine. We have a lot of room and your room has a sitting room, a bedroom, and a bathroom. You will share the kitchen with us and have access to any room you want." 

"Stairs. I don't do well with them these days." 

He said it quietly, as if it was a mystery that he was an octogenarian. 

"Other than the front stairs, you won't have to deal with them. Fitz is on the second floor but we will have an electronic chair installed so you can come and go from his room as you please." 

"I have a few things that I would like. I hate the idea of leaving Columbia, but my family comes first so I'm doing it. I would like a few things though." 

"Whatever you need." 

Nancy lay back on her pillows, running her hand down Lauren's back. 

"I need a car service. I have one here and that way no one has to alter how they live their lives to accommodate me." 

"Done." 

"I've been thinking of getting a dog. I hope I still can once I move in." 

"Sure, as long as it is a small dog, like a beagle or a terrier of some sort. And it will be your responsibility. Anything else?" 

"A decent general practitioner. I'm leaving Sam, who has been my doctor for 25 years. I'm not young anymore...I need a good doctor." 

"I will get on that Monday. Now I have two rules." 

"Of course. I will always respect your house." Scooter said. 

"Cigars only in your room and outside. And you have to carry a cell phone. No one here will ever stop you from living your life any way you want, it is just for us to keep in touch." 

"I can do that, as long as you program it for me. I hate those newfangled things. Well, I guess you want to go back to sleep and I have some other phone calls I need to make." 

"You are going to wake people at this hour?" she asked in an incredulous tone. "That is just cruel 

Scooter laughed. 

"You young people could sleep all day. I'll call and talk to Lauren later on." 

"OK. Bye Scooter." 

Nancy hung up and closed her eyes. Lauren rolled over in her arms. 

"Nothing's wrong is it?" she mumbled. 

"No baby. Scooter is going to come and live with us." 

"What!" Lauren was awake now. "How? How did you do it?" 

"I didn't, Fitz did. They had a long talk yesterday and he realized he wanted to be close to you and his grandson. I will call Jimmy later and work out the details. Right now I just want to..." 

"Thank you, thank you, thank you." Lauren kissed all over her face and Nancy squirmed under the attention. 

"Lauren, cut it out. Really, I didn't do anything." 

"Yes you did, and I love you. I don't deserve you." 

"Of course you do. I love you baby." 

"I want you Nancy." 

Nancy nearly groaned as her sleep shirt went over her head. She was so tired. 

"I will make you a deal." She muttered as the kisses intensified. "Just let me get a few more hours sleep. I promise when I wake up you can have every inch of me. Right now though, I just have to sleep." 

Nancy curled up in Lauren's arms and fell asleep. Lauren kissed her forehead. 

"I do love you Nancy. Thank you so much." 


End file.
